"MONTREAL -- The federal government’s No. 1 hunting ground for environmental offenders isn’t deep in the mists of the boreal forest — it’s in the back rooms of Canada’s neighbourhood dry cleaners.
The pursuit of violations linked to a toxic chemical commonly used in dry-cleaning machines now makes up nearly a quarter of all inspections by Environment Canada enforcement officers.
In just a few years, the number of inspections to sniff out offences related to handling perchloroethylene — sometimes called tetrachloroethylene or PERC — has more than doubled.
Environment Canada warns that human exposure to high concentrations of PERC can inflict a host of health issues, including eye irritation, memory loss and even liver and kidney damage."
Andy Blatchford reports for the Canadian Press February 13, 2011.
"Local Dry Cleaners Top Target for Environment Canada Inspections"
Source: Canadian Press, 02/14/2011
